Canon PowerShot SD900 Titanium 10MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
By: Canon Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 116
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 On: 2008-09-07
This camera is easy to use, and has great results. Hooking
it up to the computer is easy, and printing pictures is too.
The battery never dies, and there are tons of options to fix
up your pictures how you like them
On: 2008-05-19
This is an awesome camera!!! I only wished that I had waited a few more weeks until the 12 MP camera came out. Oh well, technology changes too fast and only millionaires can stay trendy.
 On: 2008-05-11
nice size but i wanted the high resolution so i can zoom in on photos afterwards. well because its small and lightweight every picture i took was blurry because i apparently shake to much. i dont have a shake to my hand that i have ever noticed before and the camera i bought to replace it is fine.
 On: 2008-04-07
Fell in love with this camera, used it for 2 years, then out of the blue, the lens would not retract and a message of "lens error, please restart camera" comes up, changing batteries did not fix it, nothing did. Looked on the Internet and found this is a common problem.
On: 2008-03-02
I researched many digital cameras before deciding to get this model. I chose it because it had the high megapixels that I wanted and boasted many features and unique settings. I was not disappointed.
First of all, the camera offers sharp, high-quality images without using any of the fancy settings. The basic use of this camera meets my expectations.
The Color Accent feature is something that makes me feel like an artist as I compose images, and it is very easy to use (words which I will be using several times during this review!). The same effect can be done by hand with Photoshop or Gimp, but why worry about that high-end, expensive software when your camera does it for you?
The other feature that I am currently giddy about and excited to try on our upcoming vacation is the panorama feature and the accompanying software, StitchAssist. I had a camera that offered assistance lining up panoramic shots, but did not come with software to put those images together. The Canon SD 900 comes with StitchAssist, a program with imports the images taken with the panoramic setting on and then "stitches" them together. The program does all the work; all I had to do was tell it which images I wanted put together. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.
Another minor setting I like is the touch button display. I have always had trouble operating the tiny buttons on my previous compact digital cameras, but the SD900 has a display that pops up when you press the round buttons to help you verify that you are pushing the correct button. No more trying to turn off the flash, but setting the macro instead!
One aspect that I am still learning is navigating the menus. The basic camera menus change very slightly depending on which settings you have enabled, and I am afraid that when I am "out in the field" away from my user guide, I wont be able to remember how to make the camera do what I want because I cant remember how to get to the menu. This is a necessary evil of a feature-packed camera, I fear. The menus are intuitive, though, so they have been fairly easy to learn. Not so with some cameras I have used.
I am not very pleased with the built-in sounds (I find almost all of them annoying), but you have the option of turning them completely off, as well as the option to set the volume of each type of sound individually, so I feel like Canon partially redeemed themselves for the less-than-pleasing-to-the-ear audio they offered.
One sound I am glad Canon included was one that signals the timer is about to go off. Again, no sounds that dont make your heart race, but at least we can all tell when that group shot is going to snap.
I strongly recommend this camera if you are looking for a small camera packed with easy to use features.
 On: 2008-01-25
I have this camera for a little over a year now and it is by most the worst camera I have ever had. It has been sent back to Cannon 3 times and it is still not working right and each time they tell me that I dropped the camera and broke the lens. When I told them I didnt and maybe it had to do with the shipping they tell me it cant be since the box is okay when delivered. I have a service contract on this product and it still have cost me almost $100 to get it fixed each time, I really wish I had never purchased it in the first place. And after this time i will never purchase a Cannon again.
On: 2008-01-21
Beautiful little machine with so many settings, it will take me a while to learn them all.
On: 2008-01-13
I bought this camera in Sept 2007 and absolutely love it. Over the xmas holidays it was stolen with every single vacation shot on it... I was very upset. The thing I love about this is the speed the pics take (very quick for a digi cam) and the amazing low light photos with the ISO1600 setting on. You will not be disappointed with this cam. I will be buying it again to replace the one that was stolen.
On: 2008-01-12
Impressive, tons of compliments, this beauty is magnificent, Bought as gift for my son who lives in Miami Beach,FL. He was loving all functions And the 10 megapix is fantastic,with titanium body, love it...Canon PowerShot SD900 Titanium 10MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
On: 2008-01-12
I bought this camera in Sept 2007 and absolutely love it. Over the xmas holidays it was stolen with every single vacation shot on it... I was very upset. The thing I love about this is the speed the pics take (very quick for a digi cam) and the amazing low light photos with the ISO1600 setting on. You will not be disappointed with this cam. I will be buying it again to replace the one that was stolen.
On: 2007-12-13
I bought this camera to replace my SD400 (great camera too!!) and I found a lot of great features, such as multi face recognition, the AE is improved too. 10mp seems to be too much for such light sensor size, but it worth when you use the digital zoom, the image is nearly without visible pixels even at full 12X zoom!!. Great pictures make the camera worth the money. 5 starts without any doubt.
On: 2007-12-04
I am not ahppy with the colors and picture stabilization. did expected lot more when you pay 350 for point to shoot camera. horrible dark shots and very blure. picture stabilization is worst than my cell phone camera some time
 On: 2007-12-01
Ive had so much fun with this camera.It goes everywhere with me.Theres so many settings I havent used even. The only thing I wish is that it was quicker at taking the picture.
On: 2007-11-26
A beautiful camera with lovely intuitive controls. We purchased two. Both cameras soon suffered from cracked viewing screens. Now, lens retraction problems on a very babied camera. The $100 screen replacement should not be standard operating procedure. Too Fragile!
On: 2007-11-02
Very good quality. Easy to use. Pictures have better than average resolution. Included software and transfer of images to computer easier than average. Good documentation included. This is the first digital Canon that I bought (had film version of Elph before and a digital camera made by a competitor) and Canon has hit a home run with this one.
On: 2007-10-29
I love my Canon. Two of my friends bought one also and we are all very happy with it. I tried the Sony, Casio and other brands and decided to go with Canon. Very happy with my choice!!!!!
by: Anonymous On: 2007-10-24
Great camera. This is our second purchase of this model. My wife had one and it was so good we bought another. Great pictures, fast turn on, fast recycle, bright screen. Handy size for vacation travel. We have carried 2 of them aroung Europe for a month and took 4000 wonderful pictures.
On: 2007-10-21
I mostly use DSLRs, but when I needed to replace my Canon A540 to use for underwater photography I chose the SD 900. It takes very decent pictures (for a P&S), both above and below sea-level (I advise to use the underwater scene setting). The camera is extremely well built, exposure and AF are OK; like all compact cameras, noise is always an issue, but if you stick to 80-100 ISO you should be OK. Purple fringing is very well controlled and dynamic range is pretty good, with little highlight clipping.
One could wish for more manual setting possibilities, like aperture and speed priority. It is also strange not to have a real battery indicator: it only appears when the battery is low. A playback button would also be better than having to rotate the mode selector wheel each time one wants to view the pictures on the card.
Overall a very good compact camera for snapshots.
On: 2007-10-15
I bought this camera about a year ago and havent ever had any problems with it until very recently. I turned my camera on, and it wouldnt work. The screen said "Lens Error." I then turned it off and on again. After this the camera worked but the lens wouldnt focus on anything. This seems to be a problem quite a few people have experienced. Other than that it takes great pictures, but I wouldnt recommend buying one.
On: 2007-10-09
I bought this about 6 months ago - the pictures are too dark, even with adjustments and the manual mode they never quite look right.
Bought one, and got a piece that always showed a blank white screen.
Finally got a version that worked, took it to the beach a couple of weeks ago - the thing got a couple of drop of water on in (my hand was wet, not like it got dunked), and the thing just stopped working (the lens would not even retract).
A very fragile camera, so buy at your own risk. And read up on the web about how few things the warranty covers.
On: 2007-10-08
What is this difference between regular and coach? The extra $80 must give me something...?
On: 2007-09-21
Ive had a couple of digital cameras before this one, and both were plastic, and fairly delicate.
I dont know if its the titanium, or just the internal construction, but this is a tough camera.
I dropped it onto a parking lot from waist level (ahh!), and picked it up with no problems. I also dropped it from about 12 feet (in a case) onto a grass field, and that didnt cause any problems either.
Some of these other reviews have complained about image blurriness and clarity, but taking pictures of anything that is moving is difficult, with any camera. I think this camera works great, and was definitely worth the money. The battery lasts a long time as well.
On: 2007-09-06
... I dont recommend getting it.
First the good: This is the fifth digital camera I have owned and it is the one I liked best: It looks good, is small enough to carry around, and takes great pictures and movies. I did not have a problem with the fact that it does not have an image stabilizer, it still takes better pictures in almost all situations than my Panasonic Lumix DMC (which has one). The LCD display is good in all light conditions I experienced and seems robust enough in spite of its size. Ive also found the camera easy to use.
Now the bad: 7 months after I purchased the camera, the lens stopped retracting and the screen displayed "Lens Error". I checked on the internet and found that thousands of other people had this problem (also known as the E18 error) with the Canon Powershot cameras. I called the Canon repair center and they immediately recognized the problem and told me to send the camera in for repair. Several days later I received a repair estimate for $157 even though the camera was still covered by a 1 year guarantee. When calling the repair center I was told that the camera had scratches on the exterior and they would not honor the warranty. Thats consistent with what I read on the internet: Canon is very reluctant to deal with the error.
To me it seemed that the scratches on the exterior were entirely unrelated to the lens error. The camera has been handled with regular care and Ive never had a similar problem with other cameras.
On: 2007-09-01
Camera is very nice. Works well, but you really need an Image Stabilizer in such a light camera, hence the loss of 1 star. I would consider one of the other elf models with IS over this one
On: 2007-08-17
Great features -- especially ISO 3200. Takes very good pictures. Easy Macro setting. I like the special features, night, beach, folage settings are excellent. I dont understand the aquariium setting -- but hey I not a fishy person. I would recommend this camera.
On: 2007-08-17
I love this camera. It is easy to use, simple, small, and light and makes wonderful pictures in any condition.
On: 2007-08-14
This camera is a good camera for taking object that dont move much. I tried to take pictures of my 5-month old baby, only about 2 out of 10 pictures are clear, because she moved her head so much. I used the kids & pet option and tried all kind of combinations to increase the shutter speed, but failed. I gave up and returned the camera.
On: 2007-08-12
I use Canon cameras exclusively. I left my high end gear packed in a case at home while I traveled back to my assignment. I regretted not bring my Canon 5D and 20D and my `L series lenses. But I need a camera to capture shots of equipment for a project. I grabbed the SD900...
I was surprised with user friendly interface and the quality of the shots. The image stabilization is a great asset; something I thought I could only enjoy with my high end lenses. This camera is somewhat pricey for a point and shoot, but it gets the job done and the quality cant be beat.
On: 2007-08-11
Last year I purchased an SD550 for my wife but I did not use many of its features until a month ago while on a trip overseas. I discovered the Digital Macro setting under manual, and that has become my favorite setting. It eliminates the need for flash under most conditions and the color reproduction with digital effect is amazing, especially for portraits. One can eliminate redeye by not using a flash so the digital macro really comes in handy there and also by increasing the ISO without flash which has the added bonus of reducing camera shake as well. Needless to say, I left the camera on the airplane when I returned and had to buy a replacement. After much review reading and comparison shopping, I purchased the SD900 which I love more than the SD550. Good work Canon.
On: 2007-08-10
I originally purchased the Panasonic FX100S but was a bit disappointed by the noise in the indoor pics. I decided to treat myself to the sd900 coach edition. This camera is really amazing. I had to decide between this and the sd850 which has image stabilization. After my experience with the Panasonic, I realized that I didnt really need it. I can take a pic with ISO 800 and it comes out better than the other cameras with the IS. The pics from this camera rival those from my DSLR. In some cases it takes better shots. It is also a good deal since it is a year old and selling for much cheaper than it did a year ago. I got the coach edition for 379 at pcnation. That is the same price I paid for the Panasonic. I am glad that I am sticking with Canon. They really do make the best digital cameras.
On: 2007-08-01
I have been a professional photographer for seventeen years and was looking for a little point and shoot camera to carry on vacation. I have always used Nikon cameras for my profession but was never happy with the coolpix series. Enter the Canon Elph... This is a powerful little camera and you will not be disappointed.
On: 2007-08-01
I got this camera for a trip to Ireland and I love it. I have a 5.2 pixel HP, which was fine except for the fact that the batteries ran down after about 1 day-not acceptable and very frustrating when youre in Paris, trying to capture a million different scenes. The Canon comes with a rechargeable battery which lasted the 8 day trip-including movies. It does not, however have a low battery indicator, so have a backup or charge it regularly. I love the amount of "fiddling" you can do with this camera. The auto setting works really well, but there is a manual setting where you can adjust exposure, shutter speed, colours, pixel size , etc. You can do fancy effects like picking up a specific colour in a photo and have everything else kind of monochromatic. The movies it takes are great quality and I love the extra large viewing screen (it also has a viewfinder which I like)
So all in all I recommend this camera-Im glad I spent a little more to get the higher pixel content and manual features. It has alot to offer in a small package.
On: 2007-07-30
I recently bought my daughter this camera for her graduation gift.
She was really hoping for a good quality camera because she loves photography. This really is a great camera. The digital Macro mode is very good on the camera, it is her favorite feature. The only flaw is that when the images get put onto the computer they loose a little bit of color but with a little bit of editing they look excellent. The lcd is big, the pictures are sharp, its very small and convenient, and perfect for anyone who wants a good quality digital camera!
On: 2007-07-30
The camera canon sd900 is one of the best, is complete and to very good price. Canon PowerShot SD900 Titanium 10MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
On: 2007-07-29
I love this camera. Its small, sturdy and takes phenomenal pictures. I use the macros and change the ISO settings quite a bit, so I havent had many blurry pictures (nighttime ones without flash). The display in the back is HUGE. A bit heavier than other cameras this size, but I feel its sturdier. The size is excellent. Small enough to fit into a clutch.
On: 2007-07-28
I bought a Leica D-LUX 3 on March. It broke right away. After I sent the junk back to Leica, I bought the Canon SD900 right away. This is the best camera I have ever had.
My first Canon SD 900 was stolen by someone while I was on my business trip. I bought another same model on the same day while I came back home. Leica finally fixed the D LUX 3 for me. I through it away. Canon SD 900 is the best.
On: 2007-07-26
This camera is Great!! Its just the perfect size, and I love the fact that they enlarged the view screen in the back. the previous elphs had more hardware, less viewer screen. Its also user friendly, becsuse most folks hate to read complicated manuals.
On: 2007-07-23
My husband really loves his camera. We recently went on a trip and it took great pictures, and it is very convenient.
On: 2007-07-16
The camera is super! It is light and easy to take around. It takes great photos. A great camera for the price!
On: 2007-07-11
Previously I had the Sony T100, which I returned due to grainy indoor pictures and poor resolution on some indoor shots.
First let me say that there appears to be no definitive resource for digital camera reviews out there. There are a number of sites out there that do conduct and post reviews but each has their own top rated cameras. I decided that I was going to take a risk on the Canon SD900.
I purchased my SD900 the other day and receive it yesterday. I loaded the battery and the card and started shooting. I took a number of indoor photos, trying to replicate the same types of shots that I had taken with the Sony. I then went to my computer and loaded the pictures. I must say, WOW! The clarity and quality of the photos were hands down, way above those of the Sony. First the flash is much much more powerful. It had no problem lighting up the room I was taking a picture of. Second, the colors of the photos were much more realistic. Our purple wall was actually purple in the photos, which does not happen with our other digital cameras.
Overall, given my limited use so far, I am very pleased with the camera. I will continue to provide updates as I learn more about it.
On: 2007-07-04
10MP, great control set, diminuitive size. Maybe a bit too small for some things, but high quality titanium case and more features than most amateur photographers need.
Highly recommended!
On: 2007-06-28
I have s digital SLR Canon 30D. My wife has this PowerShot SD900. Sometimes is even hard to see the difference at naked eye. Greate resolution, great features, right weight to keep balance in the snapshot and perfect size. In digital cameras, with Canon you can not go wrong. (Get away of Sony)
On: 2007-06-27
Great pictures, great features. However, I had the same experience as a previous reviewer related to exposure to weather. This camera got damp (emphasize damp only) upon which it ceased to operate. After apparently drying out, all functions returned - except the LCD screen (which Canon reports is not ecomonically feasible to repair). This situation was unexpected as my SD800 (with wide-angle lens and a different type of casing) that I use as part of my work (outdoors) is pretty regularly awash in rain - and I havent had any such problems over the past year. Thus, as previously stated, be warned in regard to the SD900.
On: 2007-06-27
Great camera! I love Canon for their elegance, workmanship, functionality. Ive bought a several Canons from Amazon and Im very happy.
On: 2007-06-27
TAKES EXCELLENT PHOTOS. A LITTLE COMPLICATED, BUT ONCE YOU GET USED TO IT, EVERYTHING IS A BREEZE!
On: 2007-06-26
This is my third Canon camera. I have a antique Optura PI video DV camera that serves well to this day for video, of course. I purchased a Canon Powershot S400 that I am very happy with, unfortuneately it now throws a memory card error. I could have it serviced but I figured it was time to upgrade it.
The new Canon SD 900 is so much faster, less time on start up and auto focus. The larger screen is nice too but getting a grip on this camera is a bit odd as suggested by other reviewers. Physically the same size and weight of the old one, just more refined controls.
On: 2007-06-23
This is my second Canon digital camera purchase--my first is a Canon SLR digital rebel. I love the digital SLR but it is too bulky for me to tote around for everyday photos. I decided to purchase the Canon SD900 after my Nikon Coolpix died after 5 years of daily use. Ive been using the SD900 for 2 weeks now and love it. The SD900 sold me on its tiny size, huge display, 10 MP photos, different ISO settings and the various movie modes. It fits perfectly into my smallest purse and into pockets. It is a little heavier than the Nikon Coolpix I had, but that is due to the solid construction. I have small hands and the camera is easy for me to hold--no straining or slippage. Another sell point for me was the rechargeable battery--I charge it once a week and I am set for an hour or so a day of photo taking. On sightseeing trips I prefer to charge it every other day.
The only thing that annoys me about the camera is the slowness of clicking through the Manual menu settings to set up the white balance, exposure, ect. Something about the way the menus are set up seems less intuitive than on the Nikon Coolpix or the Digital Rebel SLR. Its not unexpected on such a tiny camera but for the price point I expected just a little more.
The SCN settings are very handy and easy to chose from, and the automatic setting works well when in a hurry to capture a shot. I love the face detect feature--it makes framing the subjects a piece of cake.
The movie modes are a fun option. I find them useful to take little clips of the kids to send to the grandparents. The audio is pretty good.
If you are looking for a pocket/purse camera packed with features for daily use, this is it.
On: 2007-06-20
I have gone through 3 cameras in the past few months, and consider myself pretty well informed as of now.
First of all, I purchased the Casio Exilim 10mp camera on Amazon, but found it lacking features and a little cheap feeling. Then I decided to go back to Canon (I had an SD450 before) and buy the SD900. I like the Titanium body and easy to use control dial on the back. I was familiar with Canon from my previous camera.
I ordered the sd900 and it arrived. I took it out to San Francisco for day trip and after taking only 15 photos or so, the lens made a noise and didnt retract. The camera gave a cryptic error message and promptly shut off with the lens still sticking out. My sister remarked that the camera was "constantly happy to see her" All in all, a troubling and embarrassing experience. I sent the camera back in to Amazon and they accepted the return.
But, I returned to Amazon and bought the camera again.
Recently, while at a party, I was unfortunate enough to lose track of the camera and it vanished forever! :(
But, Guess what? Im most likely going to buy yet another SD900. Its just that good.
So if you are looking for a good snap shot digital camera, I highly recommend this one and wish you better luck than Ive had with it.
-Mike Stocker
(I also have a Canon 20d dSLR camera that is great)
On: 2007-06-14
Yup, thats what this camera is called in Asia.
Basically, its the same camera mentioned above, packed with lots of powerful feature and new processor digi III.
Overall, I am satisfied with the performance of this camera, i normally use the manual mode in color-ccent for cool sin city effect ; for the scn shot, I normally used nightshot for night and foilage for cool effects in the forest.
On: 2007-06-14
I bought this camera and took it on vacation to Patagonia (Argentina). On the second day of the trip the camera got exposed to some (not a lot) of rain. It never worked again. I sent it back to the factory and they told me that it was irreparable and not covered by warranty. I have had numerous other Canon cameras in the past (digital, point and shoot, SLR) and never had any problems. I would not recommend this camera to anyone because it is very fragile. Beware!
On: 2007-06-10
I found this product to be as ordered. It has performed well though I have not had a chance to try all of its features.
On: 2007-06-10
Hooser must be, well, new to the game. All compacts give redeye. Its a flash-to-lense distance issue. With these compact digitals, its all in the firm ware, and canon sd900 has it all.
On: 2007-06-08
I upgraded to this camera from the Canon SD550 hoping to get some reduction in the amount of red-eye I get in my pictures--no such luck. I have tried everything in the manual remotely related to red-eye to reduce the problem with no luck.
I was surprised to have this issue since most people rave about this camera. It does take great scenic shots, has great resolution and takes great videos, but 90% of the people in my photos have red-eye that I have to try and remove with software.
Maybe Ive just had bad luck with my two Canons but I plan on selling mine and purchasing another brand.
On: 2007-06-01
i own a canon 20d digital, prosumer camera but needed an unobtrusive pocket camera for those situations requiring more stealth and mobility. that being said, the powershot sd900 fits in the average shirt pocket (though its weight - approx. 10 oz., makes the pockets in my silk shirts sag a bit - a minor fashion faux pas) and is reasonably quick to start up - about 3 seconds from pressing the "on" button to shutter release. the titanium casing is a plus as it maintains its "out of the box" look despite fingerprints, minor bumps and dust. the screen is large enough to be able to evaluate pics on the fly and the buttons, though small for my rather large fingers, do the job well. the 10 mp gives most people plenty of detail even for 16 x 24 enlargements. it comes with cords and software to connect to your computer (though direct camera to pc uploading is not the easiest thing to accomplish if you have an older computer. n.b. "older" = more than 3 years-old.) it would be wise to get a 1 - 2 gig memory fast-write card which will facilitate the cameras write -to - disk speed.
now the problems - the flash is rather weak and you have to be close to your subject for the flash to be of any use. also because the flash is so close to the lense, its hard to diffuse the flash lighting with a handkerchief or even a tissue - so you get those "white out" areas in your pic if you are not careful in the placement of your subject.
also if you like to take a lot of museum shots, when you disable the flash, it is very, i repeat, very difficult to produce sharp pics even in bright museum lighting. you need a gorilla pod (tm), a surgeons steadiness, or some other stabilizing accessory.
the 3x optical zoom is all but useless and will help frame only subjects that are relatively close to you - no more than 12 feet or so.
the upshot for the powershot? understand that when you purchase a point-and-shoot camera, your main purpose arguably, is to buy something that will capture, with reasonable accuracy, that bressonian "decisive moment" that would otherwise be lost if you had to fiddle with dials, knobs, focusing rings, light meters, histograms, etc. in this, the digital elph performs admirably.
On: 2007-05-28
I have had this camera about a week. Its replacing a Canon G6 that I loved, but is just too big. This camera is so small - I love it! About the size of a deck of cards. And the menus are so user friendly. It makes all the settings easy to use. I agree w/ the other reviews that I do wish it had stability b/c some pictures are coming out blurry. The shake warning shows for almost every picture I take. Thats the only reason I didnt give it 5 stars. But otherwise, I am extremely with this camera and would definitely recommend it.
I am updating this review on 12/9/07. I am very frustrated with this camera and looking for another one. The image stabilizer that is lacking is a very big problem and almost all my inside pictures come out blurry and outside pictures unless its sunny. I have to take several to get a clear one which seems ridiculous for such an expensive camera. I now feel like it was a waste of monet and I wish I still had my G6 that I gave to a friend. I would rerate as 2 stars if it would let me.
On: 2007-05-28
I have had this camera about a week. Its replacing a Canon G6 that I loved, but is just too big. This camera is so small - I love it! About the size of a deck of cards. And the menus are so user friendly. It makes all the settings easy to use. I agree w/ the other reviews that I do wish it had stability b/c some pictures are coming out blurry. The shake warning shows for almost every picture I take. Thats the only reason I didnt give it 5 stars. But otherwise, I am extremely with this camera and would definitely recommend it.
On: 2007-05-27
We were looking for a camera to replace our Kodak 3.1MP camera. This is a great camera. Takes awesome pictures, and video. Only one complaint - this camera does not have Image Stabilization (IS), so if you move a lot while filming video, it will look quite jumpy when played back. Otherwise, awesome camera, and quality!
On: 2007-05-23
This little beauty outshoots my slr and its nikon lenses. Coupled with a 2 gig card it is a wonderful tool for my photo excursions...light and compact (fits my pocket even with the case on it).
On: 2007-05-16
This is a very good buy! Nice small camera, good definition, lots and lots of options. Would recommend it for people that like to take nice photos without having to think much about it as the "auto" options seems infinite. But also a good camera for someone a bit more interested into photography (but not that much!)
The only negative thing, seems to be the lack of battery indicator... but the battery seems to last forever! ;)
On: 2007-05-15
This camera is awesome!
I wanted a simple point and shoot that would fit into an evening bag. this camera has great portability and the ease of shooting is great also!
I highly recommend this camera-- very easy to use with great pics!
On: 2007-05-12
Very clear camera, and gives me clear image the size of the file is sort of huge. Camera is pretty heavy, but is balanced in weight. Small, But no still image processor. Good Camera, but slightly overpriced, yet you REALLY get 10megapixel pictures. I advise you to get this camera
On: 2007-05-12
I have owned quite a few digital cameras and they have been nothing like i wanted. If i just moved the camera the slightest bit when i was taking the picture the whole thing would come out blury. But with this camera i can be moving the camera in a complete cirlce or folowing someone with the camera and it comes out amazingly clear.
On: 2007-04-27
NIce camera, might seem big, but fits in hand very comfortably, in pockets it gets some time to get used to.
Only used a few times. Too bad this camera doesnt have a image stabilizer. OTher than that, if you use the auto setting, itll take good pictures, but if you turn of the flash, the picture will get somewhat blurry since they ISO setting will get low. but other than that, im happy.
hate the fact Canon cameras doesnt have a battery meter display, only a low battery warning.
On: 2007-04-14
Ive had this camera for a couple of weeks now, its my 4th digital camera. I am very happy with the photos Im able to take, they are truly outstanding. Im still learning all of the settings but Im finding everything to be user-friendly. I like the way it feels in my hand and Im pleased with the battery life. I purchased a 2GB card to replace the one that came with the camera and its been the perfect size for me. The video is amazing, I was standing in the upstairs bathroom of our 2 story house and saw our little one jumping on the trampoline at the far end of our backyard, so I decided to tape it. Not only was the quality good, the camera picked up the audio, which I never expected! And I like that you can zoom in or out while youre taping, I wasnt able to do that with my last camera.
Ive had no problems downloading the pics or videos to my computer and the prints Ive gotten have been great as well.
On: 2007-04-12
My primary use for this camera was to take pictures indoors with very bright lighting, without the use of a flash. The camera couldnt handle taking pictures without the flash at all, despite it being extremely bright in the room (5 different lights on plus 3 overhead halogen track lights). The cameras shutter speed was so slow that it was nearly impossible to get a picture that wasnt blurry. Maybe 1 in every 4 pictures came out clear. I believe the fact that its a 10 megapixel camera is what did it.
I used to have a Cannon PowerShot SD450 that was awesome, but it was stolen and so I needed a replacement. I had no complaints about the 450 and it took the same type of pictures in bright indoor lighting just fine without a flash, unlike the 900. I am sure the camera would be fine for people who always use the flash or take their pictures in bright sunlight but for my purpose, this camera was horrible and it has since been returned. Instead, I just got a Fuji Finepix F30, which is supposed to be better without the flash. Well see!
On: 2007-04-11
As soon as the battery is charged, we were ready to go. In auto mode, it was as easy as turn on, point (focus), and shoot. Especially love the (1) speed at which it turns on and is ready to go and (2) the large, clear display screen. Additional modes are available, but I have only begun to explore. On the downside, this model is larger than the other Elph models and barely fits into the Canon camera bag.
On: 2007-04-08
We had a Canon Powershot S50 3 years ago, loved it. So this time when my husband wanted to buy another digital compact camera, we specifically looked for Canons.
We originally were thinking of getting the SD700,800 or something like that. But after we compared these cameras together in a store near us. We found out SD900 has the finest LCD display, more opitions in control panel... So we came back and bought it from Amazon (our favorite online store).
We used it in our last trip to Grand Cayon, LV, SF etc. This SD900 takes very good pictures, especially in good lighting conditions. Colors are also smooth and rich.
The downside, as you may already read from others reviews, no battery indication, no raw(its ok, my husband doesnt do much editiing anyway, it will be too much to ask for a campact camera to offer), control panel is sensitive... dont get frustrated if you happened to pressed the wrong button and couldnt figure the way out during the time of shooting. Stich is a great function which comes with, but when in a very bright area, you can not see the stich alignment very well on the LCD screen (I guess its a common trouble to all digital compact cameras which are relay on LCD dispay).
Overall, its a wonderful camera, we love it. Its my husbands camera, I uses Canon 350D, but I borrow it from my husband sometimes because its tiny compares to my 10 lbs "moose" and it takes very good pictures.
On: 2007-04-02
I just got back from my first trip using this camera, and it performed excellently.
Two things I found very good:
Night shots at high ISO and no flash were outstanding. I took a lot of pics of the Hong Kong skyline, and they were just stunning. No blurry image and crisp colors and lines. There is no need for "no shake", given these pics are possible at this high ISO with no tripod.
Battery endurance was unbelievably long. I was taking pics constantly all over Hong Kong for two straight days, including a lot of night shots. The battery lasted the entire time. I bought a second battery as a backup, but I rather doubt I am every going to need it, with this kind of endurance.
This is the best compact camera I have ever owned.
On: 2007-04-02
At 10mp, this camera takes some of the clearest and visually stunning pictures I have ever taken with a digital camera. The clarity and detail alone are reason to get this camera. The display, although pooh-poohed by others as too small, is quite large to me.
The cameras small, lithe design is another selling point. Nothing bulky about this camera. You can put it in your front pants-pocket if you needed to.
Do yourself a favor and get this camera. You wont regret it.
On: 2007-03-30
This camera takes great pictures all the time. I havent had one picture that has turned out bad. It is also very easy to use and there are lots of fun things you can do with it. I would recommend this camera to anyone.
On: 2007-03-29
Its amazing how much they can squeeze into such a small space.
I have owned one form of the Elph or another, for the past 7 or 8 years, and theyve always been top quality. This version is no exception. Everything youd expect from one of the leading names in digital cameras.
The screen is BIG, and the menus and onscreen information is clear and everything is very intuitive. The picture quality is fantastic! Crisp and hi res, with many options for size and quality. The detail on some of my shots is simply astounding!
The video capture is some of the best Ive seen from a none dedicated camera. The 640x480 @ 60 fps mode, is quite startling when you first see it. The improved video capabilities is one of the main reasons I upgraded.
The battery life seems very good. Infact, Id say its a bit of an improvement over my last Elph. I purchased an extra battery, so I could be charging one, while using the other. I still havent switched batteries yet :)
Overall, very please. This is a great, stylish, neat, full featured, camera!
On: 2007-03-27
"lens error, restart camera" message appears today (mar 26) after buying production on amazon on feb 20, 07. When I searched google for this error message saw thousands of canon users having similar error / e18 error with older and newer version of the canon. I have tried panasonic and sonys before and never had an issue. I dread that canon customer service is going to waste my hours in getting a replacement and ultimately may end up charging me over a 100 for repairs like they have done to other users(after reading user feedback on web).
On: 2007-03-14
i got this camera as a graduation gift and two days after i got it, my brother took it to italy for a trip. he couldnt stop raving about how great it is and he wants one himself. ive had it back for a couple days now and so far i love it as well. would highly recommend. picture quality is great. i would recommend a high GB card. i have both a 4gb and 2gb combo pack that i bought.
On: 2007-03-14
This is a great small digital camera. I take it everywhere and it takes wonderful pictures. I wanted something small to just slide in my purse or my pocket instead of carrying my big Canon digital rebel around, and the SD900 is perfect.
On: 2007-03-09
"I LOVE THIS CAMERA," stated by one of my friends who purchased his Canon SD900 last week ago.
Last weekend ago, I remember playing with my best friend Canon SD900 digital camera. I was amaze by the fit-n-finish of this product...meaning, the quality of how this camera came about. This camera simply had it all - 10mp, awesome photos, amazing features, etc!! But what was wrong with the Canon SD900?
One thing that I was quite disappointed was how the camera only had a 3x the optical zoom level. I own a Canon SD800 camera, and my camera actually has a 3.8x the optical zoom level. This means that I could zoom in far more closer into a specific object or action with the Canon SD800 than the Canon SD900.
The second thing was that the Canon SD800 had the image-stabilized wide zoom. This means that when I zoom into an object or thing, I could rotate my lens of my camera to make the picture focus more on one specific object than just one whole picture in itself. Like the SD800, the SD900 does NOT have that feature. This means that for the SD900, not only do you have fewer optical zoom level than the SD800, but you also cant adjust the quality of the picture/object while taking photos on your SD900.
Lastly, I took a couple of photos in the SD800 and SD900. When comparing the quality of each pictures, I found quite surprisingly that the 7mp photo and the 10mp pictures were VERY similar. There wasnt much change in the picture quality of these two cameras. YES, the SD900 do have more mega-pixels than the SD800, but I found out that there wasnt much of a difference between those two cameras in terms of quality photos.
In simple words, there is NOTHING wrong with the SD900. I just think that if you are debating between whether to buy the SD800 or the SD900, I believe the SD800 would be a better choice than the SD900. A 10mp camera doesnt have much difference from a 7mp camera. I believe that the SD800 simply lets the individual have more control on how they want there photos to come out to be than the SD900.
But to not make any judgments here, I believe that the SD800, in MY opinion, is better than the SD900.
On: 2007-03-09
THIS CAMARA WORKS GREAT VERY EASY TO USE TAKES AWESOME PICTURES BATTERY LIFE IS FANTASTIC COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING NEGITIVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS CAMARA
On: 2007-02-26
I just bought this great little camera yesterday. I always enjoy reading all the opinions of others and certainly felt comfortable buying this after reading all the excellent comments. Of course there will always be some who can find something wrong with anything and I truly feel that is perfectly OK, however, most of the negative comments I have read pertain to things I feel any buyer should investigate "BEFORE" the purchase is made and not afterward. For example, this really is a small camera. My hands have a tough time getting around all the little controls and staying out of the way of the lens, sensors and controls, however, the more I used it, the more comfortable I felt with it. Some had said it is too large! Go figure!
A few have referred to having another, more expensive camera with options to change lens, etc. I also fall into this category. I have a great Canon 20 D camera which I absolutely love, however, our smaller first generation Kodak was beginning to fade a bit so we decided to get this one as an alternative to packing in the serious and more bulky 20 D. Now my wife is claiming she will keep the new SD900 in her purse so she is taking my promise to make this "her camera" a little too seriously. I hope she will grow tired of it and I will occasionally get the chance to use it a bit more.
Now, getting down to the actually purpose of this review, I have only spent a few hours last evening and this morning "fiddling" with the camera. I am very impressed with both the software and hardware elements of the camera. The pictures have been great. I have really about run out of things to take pictures of around the house, however, I have some wonderful pictures of the dogs, flowers and patio. I have snapped away at some rather lame subjects just to test this thing out and I have come away with some truly excellent quality shots. I love the "macro" mode. You can start at two inches from the flower (or whatever) and get lots of great detail. My Canon 20 D will not do this without a special "macro" lens.
One of the most outstanding things I love about the 20 D is the ability to take pictures at plays or concerts without using the flash. Of course most places will run you off if you use flash, even the grade school crowd will frown at you firing off your flash every few minutes and it usually is nothing more than a waste of effort in the first place as most flashes are really not much good beyond a few feet. So, point being, I have always defaulted to 1600 ASA or, perhaps even 3200 ASA and not had to use flash at all. Yes, some might say the shot will be a little grainy (noisy) at the higher speeds and I have not yet tried out the new SD900 in low light situations, however, I expect that it will offer us many more options by having the same ability to move up to the higher 1600 and 3200 ASA settings as I have used with my more expensive Canon. I have printed many shots at 13 X 19 inches and have had very few issues with grain or noise. I think having this as an option on the SD900 is one of the most attractive options. You can do a lot of shooting in limited light situations without flash if your camera has the higher ASA options.
This camera, like many of the newer cameras on the market today, has lots of other options which I have not yet explored. I certainly do not have great expectations when it comes to a lot of latitude when shooting in "manual" modes but this is really not what this camera is about. Yes, you can shoot manual but I am not actually planning on doing much with this camera in this mode; maybe we will but it seems to be doing such a great job in the several "auto modes" that I figure will we be doing lots quick shooting and not take the time to use the manual modes....of course this is just my initial review after having the camera a grand total of one day so I am a far cry from speaking with absolute conviction and knowledge. Hopefully we will know much more after a trip or two and having more than the neighborhood flowers and dogs as subjects!
Bottom line, great little camera. It seems to me that we have a bit of a learning curve before understanding what all the different warning lights, etc. mean, however, if we just keep it set up in to "auto mode" we will likely never need to know all of that in the first place. Its certainly not a cheap camera and seems to be rather solid so I expect to try out everything it has to offer in the next few months.
One more thing. The "movie option" seems to work fine. I currently have a two gig card in the camera and can see it will be needed if we shoot a lot of video movies, however, shooting the highest "JPG" quality still shots will give us more than 500 pictures per card so I suspect we will be very pleased with this 2 gig card. Not to end on a negative, however, including a 32 meg memory card with this fine little camera is really not much of a perk! Save it for an emergency backup and buy a decent memory card.
On: 2007-02-26
Ive really been enjoying this camera. I bought it as my "carry camera" when I dont want to lug around my Rebel XT. Nice small camera. Fits well in my shirt pocket. Very sturdy feel and construction. May be too small for people with big hands. Picture quality is great. The flash is much stronger than I expected for such a small camera. I had a great time with this camera on my trip to Disney World. Was able to tweak the ISO settings to take pictures w/o flash in very dim areas. ISO 3200 mode is quite fun to play with. You pay a price for the noise introduced in the pictures, but its still a clear picture where you may not normally be able to take one. At normal ISO settings, the pictures are clear with vibrant colors. I wish the camera had more manual control, but for most purposes its fine. When I need more control, I can use my Rebel XT. Suggest you buy at least a 2GB SD card. I also recommend the Lowepro Ridge 10 (Arctic Blue) as a small camera case.
On: 2007-02-23
This is my second digital Canon camera, the first is a G3. Both are great! The problem is that the supplied software, ZoomBrowser, has serious problems, at least on Windows XP Professional. After installing the software for the SD900 under one userID, ZoomBrowser will not run under any other userID. The problem appears as a "Critical Error" "Invalid class string". A google search indicates that this is not an uncommon problem, and Canon is pretty unresponsive in providing a solution. After a couple of email exchanges with Canon, Im not optimistic that they have capable user support -- at least for software.
On: 2007-02-22
I purchased this camera for my wife for Christmas. I use it more then she does, it is great. I have a Canon SLR D30 that was almost three thousand dollars and the SD9000 takes as good or better pictures then the expensive Canon.
Although you cant change lenses on this camera it is still a great camera for everyday use and I have no problem recommending it to anyone. Five is not enough stars for this camera.
Gordon
On: 2007-02-21
I consider myself a photography enthusiast and a bit of an electronics geek. I love looking at the latest and greatest gadgets and often end up telling myself that I HAVE to have them especially when it comes to digital cameras. Ive owned 3 sony digital cameras all of which were pretty popular models (p10, t7, n1). Although my sony cameras were always very sleek and stylish, they always fell short when it came to taking pictures of my cats and of the children I work with. If you know cats and kids, then you know they NEVER stay still. My pics often came out blurry and the settings always had to be adjusted to take a decent picture. A forced flash always had to be on in order to catch a decent pose and the color of the picture would never look natural. I also thought the newer sony models would solve these problems but after my 3rd sony, I only saw minimal improvement. I was a bit hesitant to switch brands but after fiddling with a couple of canons from friends, I decided it was time to switch.
After having this camera for about a month and a half, I dont think I can ever go back to a sony. To say the SD900 is awesome would be an understatement. It is by far the most versatile camera Ive ever used. It takes beautiful pictures in low light, indoor, and outdoor settings, but what sets this camera apart is that it takes great pictures of constantly moving objects like cats and kids in these backdrops as well! The colors are rich and natural, not washed out by the flash like my sony cameras. The images are crisp in detail and even in light distribution. With the high ISO setting on the camera, you can take beautiful indoor shots without a flash that no other camera can handle. The battery life is good and the lag between pushing the button and actually having the photo take isnt bad. There are faster cameras out there that are quicker in response time but the quality pictures I keep getting from this camera is more than enough to overlook this.
My sony n1 took great video but often had a hard time keeping focus on the subject matter. It would constantly go in and out of focus and make it difficult to watch sometimes. The SD900 totally blows the n1 out of the water when it comes to taking quality videos. The videos are crystal clear even when cats or kids are running around wild which is something I never experienced with a sony camera.
I still prefer the sony interface and screen layout. Maybe thats just because Im so used to it. The canon doesnt have the battery indicator that tracks battery life down to the minute nor does it have the storage gauge to let you know how full the memory card is at all times like the sonys. Its a bit annoying at times to not have these features but its no deal breaker.
Overall, its a great camera. Its a little bit on the expensive side because its canons top of the line model. If you want something cheaper but dont want to give up the stellar performance, you should go with the SD630. I had that camera and after playing with it for a few weeks, I was thoroughly convinced that it was time to be a canon believer. I now see the light. If you want to see some of the awesome things the sd900 can do, view customer images and youll see pictures of my cat that i took way up close. Keep in mind that these photos were not cropped or altered in any way by photo software. If you try to take a picture this close up with a sony, all youll get is a blurry image. I hope this review was helpful and that youll join me and all the other converts to the canon promise land.
On: 2007-02-16
Camera takes great pictures.
Two items to consider - there is no indication for remaining battery charge (versus Sony 7.2 MP CyberShot which gives specific minutes remaining) nor a low battery indicator. It just shuts off. It also is extremely sensitive to movement of fingers past the function dial. Just holding the camera anywhere near the dial causes one of the menus to pop up. This can occur frequently when holding or turning the camera to capture the best angle.
On: 2007-02-15
My parents recently purchased this camera and I was extremely impressed by the quality of the pictures. The camera is able to take pictures of moving objects with extreme clarity. I was able to capture a picture of my dog running towards me and also of my dog jumping in the air, and these pictures look totally professional.
The video function on this is also amazing. In terms of quality, the video is a huge improvement from my SD450 as the colors are might brighter and sharper, and I believe the resolution is better.
Overall, this camera takes amazing pictures. I also have a G series powershot - I never thought the SD series could take pictures comparable to my G series but I must say, the SD 900 does! Absolutely amazed by the quality of these pictures.
On: 2007-02-13
I bought this to replace an early tiny camera which had a limited lens and pixels. This camera has an excellent lens, and great features - beautifully thought out in terms of user-friendliness. Even though I have read the manual, I keep finding new little bells and whistles that are useful, not just fun. It is an ideal camera for a good photo-hobbiest who doesnt want to carry a big camera everywhere, but is concerned with quality.
Additionally - and importantly - I leaned toward Canon because their service with my printer has been outstanding.
On: 2007-02-13
my personal rant..my lens is jammed..you would think that with the amount of money spent and the fact that the darn thing is titanium I wouldnt have any problems!
On: 2007-02-11
Id been looking to upgrade from my 5 megapixel Sony DSC-V1 for some time. Id just gotten the feeling that Canon was starting to produce better optics than Sony, and that there products were superior. I chose the PowerShot SD900 because of its small profile, the titanium body, its 10 megapixel capability and, frankly, all of the postive reviews I saw on Amazon praising its razor-sharp imaging and ease of use. Id seen images from a SD600 that were not great, but I assumed that the SD900 was a later generation and that some of the imaging problems had been fixed.
After having used this camera for a few weeks, and actually spending the money to get the WP-DC7 waterproof case, Im quite disappointed. Pictures shot with the SD900 are perpetually blurry and loaded with compression artifacts. Im not a professional photographer, so my first assumption was that I was the problem. But Ive made all the expected adjustments to correct this - changing the ISO settings, changing the exposure, shooting on full manual.
Even images where light is optimal with a completely still subject and using a tripod, I cant get this camera to produce the same quality of image that the DSC-V1 did. Images are far from razor sharp, and the color is off. Sure, I can cook the pictures with Photoshop, which I regularly do, but you cant make a blurry picture clear through software. I can only surmise that Im used to shooting with a Sony camera equipped with Carl Zeiss optics, and that the Canons lens simply doesnt deliver the same picture consistently. Im tempted to go with a less compact Canon with a larger lens, but after this experience, the odds of my returning this camera and going back to Sony are high.
On: 2007-02-10
I bought this camera to replace my first digital camera, a broken Olympus Stylus. I immediately found it a lot easier and more intuitive to use than my old camera. The overall quality and clarity of images is very good, and the camera is truly pocket sized, so I can take it everywhere (and do!) The 10-megapixal images allow me to crop with wild abandon and still have a great image left. The ISO and exposure settings are really easy to use and have helped me improve focus and exposure levels in tricky lighting conditions. The zoom lens works well and the flashing icon warning about camera shake is pretty helpful. I love the big, bright view screen, and the power management features work really well for me. Im very happy with this camera.
I was also delighted to be able to order it overnight, at a good price, from Amazon.
On: 2007-02-10
Id been looking to upgrade from my 5 megapixel Sony DSC-V1 for some time. Id just gotten the feeling that Canon was starting to produce better optics than Sony, and that there products were superior. I chose the PowerShot SD900 because of its small profile, the titanium body, its 10 megapixel capability and, frankly, all of the postive reviews I saw on Amazon praising its razor-sharp imaging and ease of use. Id seen images from a SD600 that were not great, but I assumed that the SD900 was a later generation and that some of the imaging problems had been fixed.
After having used this camera for a few weeks, and actually spending the money to get the WP-DC7 waterproof case, Im quite disappointed. Pictures shot with the SD900 are perpetually blurry and loaded with compression artifacts. Im not a professional photographer, so my first assumption was that I was the problem. But Ive made all the expected adjustments to correct this - changing the ISO settings, changing the exposure, shooting on full manual.
Even images where light is optimal with a completely still subject and using a tripod, I cant get this camera to produce the same quality of image that the DSC-V1 did. Images are far from razor sharp, and the color is off. Sure, I can cook the pictures with Photoshop, which I regularly do, but you cant make a blurry picture clear through software. I can only surmise that Im used to shooting with a Sony camera equipped with Carl Zeiss optics, and that the Canons lens simply doesnt deliver the same picture consistently. Im tempted to go with a less compact Canon with a larger lens, but after this experience, the odds of my returning this camera and going back to Sony are high.
On: 2007-02-08
Okay, first of all I must say I have been a PowerShot fan and user since my first Canon S200. That said there are still things which bother me about the Canons, but not enough to go with another brand. This SD900 has a host of great features, but even though the list is long and looks fancy, they things which will probably never get used; such as color swap (fun, but silly and something that I can do in post editing), and most of the special color and scene modes, and slide show modes. And really who needs a 10MP snapshot, yes the resolution is great and makes for nice pics, but it means each photo takes up about 3 or 4 MB, for general use thats a waste of hard drive.
The biggest problem I have found with all previous PowerShots is the flash just isnt strong enough to illuminate much beyond a couple feet and with the flash off you run into blurry pics because the sensor is too small to capture enough light (Sony has a much better time at this from what I have seen). Anyway with the SD900 I was finally impressed with the throw of the flash! It is bright, strong, and, for its size, powerful enough to illuminate a small room, much better than previous models.
The one thing I dont care for as much is the SD900s size. Its quite a bit larger and noticeably heavier than my previous SD300. The SD300 fit slimly in my pocket and I carried it everywhere and took allot of snapshots. The SD900 isnt nearly as compact as I would like. While its an upgrade in quality and style, its a downgrade in portability. Even the battery charger is larger than the old one, yet the battery is about the same size (different type though so they arent interchangeable).
On: 2007-02-07
I am a proud owner of a Canon 20D. However, this is a larger camera and poses challenges for certain types of events or trips. I wished for an additional camera that I could slip into my purse or pocket. So, I invested in this Canon PowerShot SD900 for an upcoming trip to Paris. It is small, lightweight and yet feels solid. Its modern design makes picture taking easy. Little lag time between each picture taken. And, most importantly the picture quality is high quality. I highly recommend this camera.
On: 2007-02-07
This is my third Canon Power Shot Digital Elph, going back several years. The quality of the camera, software and pictures is the best I have seen for this type of camera. The form factor is also a real step forward. I would highly recommend this camera, until they bring out a better one next year.
On: 2007-02-05
I was looking for a pocket size 4 mega pixel camera for around $300. Im glad I spent a little extra for this one: its simple to use, set it on auto and just point and shoot, or play around with the different settings. Its small, easy to carry around in a shirt pocket. Its durable, my daughter has a Sony Cybershot DSCW70 that had the lens pop out when she dropped it on the carpet. It has a view finder, which some cameras do not have, but the screen seems to work well even in bright sunlight. The picture quality is great. With the 1G memory card that I purchased separately it stores hundreds of pictures. The battery holds a charge well. The 10 mega pixel is more than I wanted, but it may come in handy if I want to crop pictures. It takes good video clips, too.
On: 2007-02-04
I was looking for a pocket size 4 mega pixel camera for around $300. Im glad I spent a little extra for this one: its simple to use, set it on auto and just point and shoot, or play around with the different settings. Its small, easy to carry around in a shirt pocket. Its durable, my daughter has a Sony Cybershot DSCW70 that had the lens pop out when she dropped it on the carpet. It has a view finder, which some cameras do not have, but the screen seems to work well even in bright sunlight. The picture quality is great. With the 1G memory card that I purchased separately it stores hundreds of pictures. The battery holds a charge well. The 10 mega pixel is more than I wanted, but it may come in handy if I want to crop pictures. It takes good video clips, too.
April 2008: The viewing screen is scratched from carrying the camera in my pocket, my bad! I still love this camera.
On: 2007-01-27
Reviewed with the SanDisk extreme III 2.0 GB SD memory card (optional) installed.
Over twice as fast as the SD20 ultra compact. This camera embodies a range of features enabled by emerging computational technology.
I read the previous reviews before purchasing the SD900. Every problem discussed apparently was a problem with the user not reading the manual.
This camera can run in dark, silent mode (without LCD screen and without sounds providing feedback).
As is said, "perfection is undefined for complex adaptive systems". In problem domains that are complicated and constantly changing, perfection has no meaning: instead of perfection, seek improvement. Canon has with this camera.
THe features offered and the image quality are extraordinary. Assuming you want a light, low profile, reliable camera for capturing, in high quality, interesting images as they appear in your life.
On: 2007-01-26
I Love this camera. It is alittle over my head but Im excited about learning all the different things its capable of doing. Its not hard but Im still reading the manual because it has so many more options than my old canon not to mention alot smaller which is what I was after. I looked at alot of cameras and for its price range this was my favorite then I found it alot cheaper on amazon.
On: 2007-01-26
I am a really inexpert photographer and this is my first digital. The quality is outstanding. Others have commented about noise. I found none. My first effort to download to my Imac was easy and successful. I am very pleased, so far, with this camera. It may be too smart for me. Time will tell.
On: 2007-01-22
This camera take great quality pictures even in the lost jpg setting and in low light setting. This camera is very handy I would definitly recommend getting this camera.
On: 2007-01-21
I have owned a couple of models before this one. The most recent was a Nikon Coolpix 5600. I have to say the Nikon was a nice camera. I was able to capture some really breath taking shots. I was completely lost when it got stolen from my truck. But the Canon SD900 is a complete cut above. However this is not your everyday point and shoot. It has a lot of settings and functions that may leave the average photo bug a little lost. I have to admit I myself find that I am going back to the manual quite a bit. But this is a labor of love to be completely honest. I can not wait till I know all the little magic things this camera is made to do. In auto it will pretty much prefect any picture you throw at it. Manual mode is a little trickier. I would have to say its best feature is its robust construction. It feels very solid and well put together in your hands. Above all the pictures I took of my 9 month old son ten minutes after I opened the box. Had me completely sold as a Canon fan for life. I can not wait to see what their SLRs have in store.
On: 2007-01-21
To make this short...I had a Sony 3.1 MP camera. Great pictures outside in sunlight, lowsy pictures indoor and in low light (like a lot of digital cameras) Switched entirely back to film...yes, real film cameras (Im sure this is a typical 1st time parent move these days). That was short-lived and for anyone else thinking about it...dont do it. Recently bought the SD900. WOW! This camera is great! Size and weight are excellent. Feels like a $400 camera, not cheap and flimsy. There is a face recognition feature that seems to automatically make adjustments so you dont wash out your subject. The owners manual (it came with 4) is a little intimidating. Havent read it all of the way through. The way I figure it, its 2007. If they cant make the camera easy enough to use without reading a manual...Im taking it back. They put a man on the moon for crying out loud! (allegedly) Anyway, like any technology...accept that in 3 years there will always be something better available. For now the Canon SD900 is the best thing out there. Great product!
On: 2007-01-20
Having a Canon G3, I figured updating to the latest would be an improvement. I was wrong. The many, many controls on this camera are not intuitive...even though Ive been using my G3 for 4 years. Its not as slim as I wanted either. The focus is all funky with multiple boxes popping up as opposed to the one in dead-center that Im used to. It does take very good macro shots, at 10 mgpixel it should!
I returned this after using it two days and will continue to use my old reliable G3.
On: 2007-01-18
The clarity PowerShot produces is everything you could ask for and more.
This was a gift for a friend,who was surprised at all the features this canon had to offer.
The price was amazing low for any digital camera having 10MP.
On: 2007-01-18
For everyone that is stuck between the SD800IS and SD900 - read this review. I was in the same position before buying the SD900 for my mom. I read a million reviews and still could not decide. I ended up going with the SD900 because I wanted the 10 megapixel and various features.(I play soccer and my mom loves using her new SD900 becuase she can take a picture where the ball is stopped in mid-air or can have the ball look like a white streaking line.) The SD800IS is more of a point-and-shoot camera. I recommend the SD800IS for people that just want default settings and shake when taking pictures. I also recommend going to the store and trying them both before purchasing it online. For future SD900 buyers, I was able to purchase the camera for the same price as the SD800IS on amazon.
On: 2007-01-17
This camera has a lot of capability with 10 mega pixerls. The colors are true, I like the sensitivity in low light better than my Canon Rebel 8 mega pixel camera. It is not a camera with changable lens features, but for its size and price I am very pleased.
On: 2007-01-15
It is an awesome machine. Works great and does the job clean! One weakness is that under low illumination flash is kind of weak...
On: 2007-01-15
This camera is all that I wanted and more--easy to use, versatile, publishable photos with lots of details. With the 10 mexapixels, you can even crop the heck out of the shots and they are still detailed enough for publishing. The users manual, unfortunately, is virtually incomprehensible, but the cameras menu is clear and simple to use, even for non-technical people like me. Recommend a large SD card; I chose 2G and can take almost 300 shots at full detail.
On: 2007-01-12
As a loyal Canon lover, i am very happy with this camera. Older models were a little but more manually controllable, but the quality and clarity of the images take with this camera are absolutely stunning. Highly recommended, definitely better than any other small power shot available now, especially better than SONY.
On: 2007-01-12
I have used Canon Digital Cameras for years. First because they were compatible with Mac. But now because they are user-friendly and always result in excellent photographs. On top of that, the customer service Ive received from Canon is amazing -- even after the warranty has expired. They are very helpful and nice. Now, that I have their latest camera, the amazing SD900, theres only one problem: when I pull it out to take pictures, people want to touch it and see it and play with it. In other words, theyre so impressed with how the camera looks and how small and lite it is, I cant get it back to actually take pictures at the occasion.
On: 2007-01-11
This is my third Elf for my wife and its the best one yet. We bought it to shoot new born Grandchildren. Using the center weighted exposure works really well creating good skin tones and letting white sheets do as they will.
On: 2007-01-11
I like this camera but to me it is not any better than the 4 mega pixel sd10 I already owned. I know it has more features and optical zoom but along with it there is blur and a constant flashing camera shake message, I have adjusted my ISO many times and used all the verious settings, I like my other camera just as well and I could have saved myself the money.
On: 2007-01-10
I bought it from amazon.com. One of the functions that other reviews didnt mentioned is video shot -- it is so good. I took the vidio with it for my son when he was driving the car -- the camcorder cant done such way. The 2GB pqi SD (150x) can last 20 min video and the battery last long also. Now I gave it to my son so that he can take his good moment in his college. The old Canon Powershot S30 is still fine to me.
On: 2007-01-10
I selected this model over 850IS after read many review and tried itmyself at local stores. The LCD resolution is great and brigther than 850ISs. I even took some pictures with 850IS in the store before made the decision. The flaw that I could not stand with 850IS is blurry images at all 4 corners due to its wide angle lens. Its obvious when I see the pictures on my laptop. With 900Ti, the image quality is superb compared to other models in its class. I own other Canon cameras as well e.g.10D and G2; and not disappoint to get this one because image quality is the most important to me. The camera also responsive pretty well. Quick startup time and delay between shots (used with Sandisk UltraII 2GB). Little complain on the size cause its so small and a bit slippery, I almost drop it on the floor. Luckily that I always use hand strap.
Quite disappoint with Amazon though. At the time I ordered, I was going to oversea trip. So I ordered with 2 days shipping. It arrived on time but when I picked up at local UPS facility, the package seemed to be opened before and looked terrible (e.g.dent,re-taped). Ive ordered from Amazon for a few times and never had this problem. I felt really uncomfortable to sign off the package with shipping label torn off and re-taped because no way to check the contents. The UPS guys didnt understand what happened neither. Because I was about to leave the US on my trip, I decided to sign off. Fortunately that the contents seemed to be ok.
On: 2007-01-10
I have owned this camera for about a year now, and I love it! I have found many cool functions and color swaps and effects that it does and I am always asked what kind of camera I use when people see my pictures and they say "I wish mine would do that!"
I thought I should explain my three star rating, this camera focuses rather slowly and misses a lot of good shots also it seems to register camera shake ALL THE TIME on indoor shots so I have gotten used to ignoring that. The ability to make a black and white shot pick out one color in the picture (all from the camera menu) make this a cool camera but I purchased the XTI soon after this and wish I never bought this powershot.
On: 2007-01-09
Best camera I ever owned! It does so many things I dont know if Ill ever get to them all. I was a bit intimidated by it at first but then, unlike many including myself prior to purchasing this one, I read the simple directions. It is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship and takes wonderful pictures. I also purchased the 2G picture card so I started with almost 1000 shots and since before New Yew Years Ive shot about 300 picture! Its amazing and I couldnt be happier with the quality.
I was a bit "put off" by some reviewers mention of it being "noisy" Im glad I took a chance on it. The "noise" is the normal open and closing sound a camera makes when you open or close ANY camera or click the shutter. Its a great buy. It was at least $100.00 cheaper than Best Buy or Circuit City and that allowed me to buy a few extras. You can get a nice camera case at Wal-Mart for $5.64 but the memory card is a deal.
On: 2007-01-02
I am a life-long camera buff (for that history see my Amazon review on the Nikon P-1 Coolpix). Recently, I upgraded from the P-1 (purchased in January of 2006) to the new Canon SD-900 Power Shot "Digital Elph". What a change!
My wife has been shooting a Canon SD-550 for two years and her happy experience helped me to choose Canons latest pocket digital. This "Elphs" 10.0 mega pixel, 3X zoom lens is dramatically different from the various cameras I have used!
Although there are many items to be praised with this newest Power Shot a few are particularly noteworthy. Thankfully, Canon has retained the Power Shots titanium housing. Scratched camera is only a memory. The "AF-assistance Beam" is very accurate. With 100s of photos taken so far, there are no "blurry shots". It is a delight to stretch its ISO to 3200 (were ready for those lava tubes)! The brilliant customize self-timer option creates a new versatility (four shots over 15 seconds considerably reduces the probability of subjects closed eyes).
This Power Shots 10 mega pixels print out in vivid accuracy and bold portrayal. Our photos are stunning! The SD-900 also features Canons signature one-piece (without a chord) battery charger. The large display sees everything photographed. This Elph takes less time to record the photo to the disk (the Coolpix is a dinosaur in comparison). And although both cameras weigh about the same, the SD-900 is slightly smaller than the P-1 (and fits better into pockets, back packs, and suit cases).
The Canon SD-900 Power Shot is a great camera and an excellent gift candidate. It is recommended to the camera pros and novices.
Happy New Year!!
On: 2007-01-02
I am a life-long camera buff (for that history see my Amazon review on the Nikon P-1 Coolpix). Recently, I upgraded from the P-1 (purchased in January of 2006) to the new Canon SD-900 Power Shot "Digital Elph". What a change!
My wife has been shooting a Canon SD-550 for two years and her happy experience helped me to choose Canons latest pocket digital. This "Elphs" 10.0 mega pixel, 3X zoom lens is dramatically different from the various cameras I have used!
Although there are many items to be praised with this newest Power Shot a few are particularly noteworthy. Thankfully, Canon has retained the Power Shots titanium housing. Scratched camera is only a memory. The "AF-assistance Beam" is very accurate. With 100s of photos taken so far, there are no "blurry shots". It is a delight to stretch its ISO to 3200 (were ready for those lava tubes)! The brilliant customize self-timer option creates a new versatility (four shots over 15 seconds considerably reduces the probability of subjects closed eyes).
This Power Shots 10 mega pixels print out in vivid accuracy and bold portrayal. Our photos are stunning! The SD-900 also features Canons signature one-piece (without a chord) battery charger. The large display sees everything photographed. This Elph takes less time to record the photo to the disk (the Coolpix is a dinosaur in comparison). And although both cameras weigh about the same, the SD-900 is slightly smaller than the P-1 (and fits better into pockets, back packs, and suit cases).
The Canon SD-900 Power Shot is a great camera and an excellent gift candidate. It is recommended to the camera pros and novices.
Happy New Year!!
On: 2006-12-30
I ordered this item around noon time of Dec 19, with a 2-day dilevery. The system kept on telling me that I should be able to receive this item by Dec 21. We needed this camera badly for our family snow trip (Noon, Dec. 22 - 26) since our old camera was broken by accident. UPS did not deliver this item until 5:30pm of Dec. 22.
I felt very disappointed that we had no camera during the trip!!!
I tried this item after I came back from our trip. I like the product in general. The picture quality is quite reasonable for the price.
On: 2006-12-27
I bought my first digital camera about four or five years ago, it was a Canon Powershot Digital Elph SD200 (2.0 megapixels). I used that camera and it worked very well. I decided to upgrade to the Canon Powershot Elph SD900 and have been very happy with it so far. I was unsure what they meant by saying it was a titanium body until last night when I dropped it on pavement. I expected scratches, and it did scratch - however, i wiped my hand over it a few times and the scratches came off. So instead on the camera getting scratched on the pavement, the pavement actually got scratched by the camera.
The other reviews I read about the noises the camera makes like gears, mine does not do this. No loud noises, grinding or the such. I believe they may have recognized this problem and already fixed it. The flash is wonderful and effective at great distances, my last camera you had to be close for the flash to work.
Overall, great camera, no problems, great flash, I would recommend.
On: 2006-12-22
In reference to previous reviews, you can adjust/mute the shutter volume under set up menu.
On: 2006-12-08
I recently went to Best Buy and got an HP 10 megapixel camera for around $307 and it was an ok camera but after the weekend of taking pictures I took it back because it wasnt any better than my Kodak 6 mp. Then I ordered the Canon PowerShot 10 MP and wow the difference is outstanding. It takes crisp clear pictures and is easy to use and is night and day better than my Kodak. My husband and I got this camera for ourselves for Christmas and we love it...now we can take pictures through the holidays of our kids and grandkids. It was definitely worth the $100 more for this camera and since were not professional photo hounds we think that this is heaven.
On: 2006-11-29
After taking the plunge and purchasing this here on Amazon at the weekend im happy to tell you that I love this little SD900.
Im by no means a pro but own 3 Sony digital cameras all bought within the past 2 years and have been so unhappy - so much so i even decided to go back to an old film camera to achieve good pics.
Havent really had time to play around with all the features but a great shot on AUTO mode as soon as you take it out of the box makes me a very happy snapper. Agree with the above about the noise - never heard anything quite like it, but have no plans to be snapping wildlife for a long while so think ill learn to live with it!
On: 2006-11-16
The SD900 is my 6th digital camera, replacing a well-used Canon S400 workhorse. I wanted more pixels (10MP vs 4MP), a larger LCD screen (~3x larger than S400), faster powerup (>2x as fast), wider ISO range (ISO 3200 max vs ISO 400 max), faster shot-to-shot times, better user interface, scratch-resistant case material (titanium), same or smaller size/weight and SD memory cards (new laptop has an SD reader). The top-of-the-line Canon SD900 titanium-clad wundercam delivers the goods; but not without a few caveats. The titanium case is gorgeous and virtually scratch-proof; but its quite slippery and provides no discernable perch for fingers. (Ive gotten used to it.) On the first few powerups, it sounded like the lens gears were grinding and jumping teeth or something: The usual "whir" sound was very loud, with strange clicking sounds. I almost returned the camera; but it appears to work fine.
JPEG compression artifacts are quite visible, especially at the "Fine" quality setting (~2-3 MB file size). The huge 10.0 megapixel CCD produces oceans of detail; but it is very noisy at high ISO settings. At lowest aperature (f2.8), some lens softness and purple fringing is visible in certain scenes. At higher aperatures and longer focal lengths, images are razor-sharp. The SD900 has no image stabilization; but I was able to take handheld shots in extremely low light conditions with no problem. This camera is small enought to carry with you at all times, in the pocket, the purse, the briefcase, the glovebox, always at the ready when that perfect photo opportunity presents itself. It doesnt matter now great your camera is if you dont have it with you to capture those priceless photos. If you can only have one camera, get this one
On: 2006-11-03
Well, I just got this camera and have only taken about 200 pics so far but am very impressed. I wont go over all the stuff thats already been talked about but I will say that its a huge improvement. The 10 megapixels may at first seem like overkill but when you see the results youll understand the potential of this tiny camera. Its great actually being able to take really nice photos with a digital zoom for once, not to mention how beautiful the regular 3X zoom is. Great optics and great color over the sd700 IS, which Im upgrading from. Also much improved menus and useability. The digic III is awesome, its fast and the facial recognition is really cool. There isnt a whole lot of drawbacks, Image stabilization would be nice, but I never want those crummy sd700 is optics again. Flash is a little weak, but it always has been on these. Other than that Im totally satisfied with this camera. Its one that I plan to hold on to for quite a while Which makes my wife happy, and me very happy!
On: 2006-10-12
Yesterday, I got home with my new sd800. And due to the scrutiny of the forums, I immediately had to test it. I compared exact duplicate shots from my SD550 to this "upgrade" sd800. I am very sad to say that in normal shooting conditions, this model just couldnt keep up. The main things I saw the sd800 losing horribly to the sd550 in were: picture clarity, sharpness (edge to edge) and color accuracy (the sd800s produces a very warm shot, too much yellow & red). This was a disappointment indeed when you compare the fact that my sd550 is almost a year old.
Now, on the flip-side, and should you ever find yourself in "overhead fan lighting," this will be where the true benefits of the sd800 become VERY clear. If this is how you shoot, the IS will become a lifesaver for every single shot. But aside from a museum or other "no flash," location, RARELY am I not using the flash on my camera. And I found the trick to not having over-saturation or too much flash contrast (whatever the model) is to just lower the brightness setting prior to shooting and use a bit of Photoshop shadow highlight love. (Although this can never fully prevent your shot from the flashlight effect left on objects from shooting, but it helps). This camera is only ideal for shooting in an IS situation. Period. Or at least IMHO, but it is my review right? lol
My solution was simple. I ended up taking a risk against better judgment, returned the sd800, and got the sd900. Let me just say that the quality from this camera will NEVER be achievable from an SD800. So make the call. If IS is your "make or break feature," go for the 700is, or800is. However if its quality you want from your shots, and you arent found in low light situations often, the 550 or 900 are the way to go! Price per mega pixel being the only difference.
On: 2006-10-04
10 megapixels, digital macro, telephoto, high ISO, higher definition video, less noise even at higher ISO settings. A nice little package that is worth the upgrade from the SD700 series, and coupled with a 4GB Sandisk SDHC, you got yourself a semi-proffesional, portable photography platform...
But (alas,) the experience is marred by a extremely noisy shutter, with very distracting gear noises generated every-time you try to focus in on a subject or object (you can feel the gears vibrations while holding the case.)
9.2 out 10
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